Ruling on shaking hands with an old woman and a young girl

 

I know that it is not permissible to shake hands with a non-mahram woman, but what if she is a 5 year old girl or an old woman – is it permissible to shake hands with them?.

Praise be to Allaah.

It is not
permissible to shake hands with a non-mahram woman, because the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “For one of you to be
stabbed in the head with an iron needle is better for him than to touch a
woman who is not permissible for him.” Narrated by al-Tabaraani from the
hadeeth of Ma’qil ibn Yasaar; classed as saheeh by al-Albaani in Saheeh
al-Jaami’ (5045). 

It makes no
difference whether the woman is young or old, because of the general meaning
of this hadeeth. 

Al-Mawsoo’ah al-Fiqhiyyah (29/296). 

The Standing
Committee for Issuing Fatwas was asked: Is it permissible for an old woman
to shake hands with a non-mahram man? 

They
replied: 

It is not
permissible for an old woman or for any other woman to shake hands with a
non-mahram man, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be
upon him) said: “I do not shake hands with women.”  Narrated by Maalik, Ibn
Maajah, Ahmad and al-Nasaa’i. This is general in meaning and includes both
old and young, for fear of fitnah (temptation). End quote. 

Fataawa
al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah (17/47). 

With regard
to young girls who are not regarded as desirable, those who are younger than
seven years, there is nothing wrong with looking at them or shaking hands
with them. It says in al-Insaaf (8/23): It is not forbidden to look
at the ‘awrah of a child below the age of seven, or to touch it. This was
stated by Imam Ahmad. Al-Athram narrated that there is nothing wrong with a
man putting a small girl in his lap and kissing her, so long as there is no
desire. End quote.